Natalia
by shaneequa
Summary: AU. Based closely on the 1997 Anastasia animated film. Clint and Phil are con artists looking for a woman who would play the part of the Grand Duchess Natalia Romanova so they can get the reward her grandmother is offering. It's their luck that a young woman, who looks exactly like Natalia, searching for her own past lands in their laps.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Grand Duchess Natalia  
Author: Shaneequa  
Summary: An Anastasia AU. Closely based on the animated movie.  
Dislcaimer: I don't own the Avengers or any of the rights to it. I also don't own the rights to the animated Anastasia movie that this is based off of. I don't own anything.  
Rating: T  
Author's Note: Someone on tumblr asked for an Anastasia AU. While I've been working on a loose AU of Anastasia which may or may not be posted, this was super easy to write and I loved seeing Natasha and Clint as Anastasia and Dmitri... so I wrote it. I hope you guys like it! Please review so that I know you are all interested for this to continue :) This story is mostly finished, but the publishing of the story depends on if you guys want it or not.

All mistakes are mine, please let me know if there are any and I will fix them.

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Chapter 1 - The Curse

Natalia Romanova was a happy young girl. She had a mother and father who dotes and loved her very much. She was the oldest of two children, her brother Alexei was set to inherit the crown, as king of all Russia. But he was a sickly child and Natalia did her best to cheer him up and make him happy.

At eight, Natalia showed promising beauty. Her firry red curls made her stand out from the crowd around her and her grace and poise illustrated her wealthy background. She was the top dancer in her ballet class, a scholar at such an early age who can recite poems with finesse.

But what Natalia loved the most was to dance, in her beautiful gown, in a ballroom so large and filled with the dignitaries and royalties of countries she had yet to study. Her father, Alan the Emperor of Russia would twirl her around, her dress swooshing around her.

"Again, Papa!" Natalia demanded her arms outstretched calling for her father to spin her around once again. Natalia loved being twirled around, it made her feel like a bird, flying through the air.

"No more, Natalia," Alan stated setting her down to run around he dance floor. The guests look around as she makes her way back to the head of the dance floor where her grandmother was sitting watching the crowd when she sees something catch her eye. Something that didn't belong in the picture.

The son of the kitchen servant was trying to blend in as he looked longingly at the fruit basket.

"Would you like one?" Natalia asked him standing beside him. He shook his head.

"I am here to guard, ma'am. Not eat."

"Well, I am Natalia Alianovna Romanova, and I say you can have one."

The little blonde boy looked at her with shock and awe. "Really?"

"Yup! I'm the Grand Duchess, I can do what I want."

"Thank you," the boy said attempting to bow to her out of the lessons that his mother taught him before she died.

"No problem!" Natalia replied walking away to her grandmother. Her grandmother, Marie, had her arms open, waiting for her favorite granddaughter.

"Grandmama! Papa says you are leaving again for Paris," Natalia stated with a pout. Her grandmother always went to Paris, she loved the city, and always came back with stories of the City of Lights and its magnificence. It was a fairytale for Natalia, those stories.

"I am."

"I wish you would stay," Natalia stated draping her body on her grandmother's lap.

"I have something for you," Marie stated with a smile stroking the red hair on her granddaughter's head. "To make the separation easier for the both of us."

Natalia looked up to see what her grandmother was holding: a small circular music box. "It's a music box."

Natalia grabbed at the mix box from her grandmother's hands and frowned when she couldn't figure out how to open it. Marie laughed at Natalia's antics and pulled out a necklace.

"This necklace opens the music box," Marie explained to Natalia. She laced the necklace into the slot and turned it. The music box opening to a special song which Marie had customer for the music box to play.

"It's our song, grandmama!"

"It is," Marie smiled at her. "This necklace is for you to wear, so you remember my promise that one day…"

"We will go to Paris," Natalia smiled turning around so that her grandmother could hang the necklace on her. "Thank you, grandmama!"

The crowd continued to dance while Natalia and Marie sat and watched the people of the dance floor. Moments passed before anybody took note of the different aura in the room. The lights flickered and dimmed.

"What is going on?" Alan bellowed looking around him. A cold wind passed him before a clocked figure made its way at the center of the ballroom.

A collective gasp was heard when the clock revealed the man inside. "Ivan!"

Ivan Petrovich was the helper of the Queen, Alexandra. Alexandra relied on Ivan for science and medicine for her weakening son Alexei, the heir to the Russian throne. Ivan had been a close confidant of Alexandra and knew the workings of the castle. Until the caught him practicing dark magic along with dark experiments with children as his test subjects. Ivan was banished immediately and sentenced to death.

"How dare you step foot in this palace!" Alan exclaimed. Guests scattered around in chaos trying to leave.

Ivan laughed darkly. "I am your hand."

"Get out you traitor! You are to be sentenced to death!" Alan exclaimed pushing away his wife and children from the dance floor, walking menacingly towards Ivan.

Ivan shook his head. "You think you can banish me? I am Ivan Petrovich. It will be I who curse you!"

Alan looked at him bewildered as the lights continued to flicker. The ballroom guests were still in chaos looking for a proper exit to get out of the tensions rising. "If you leave now, I will ensure you have a quick death."

"You will be the one wishing for an easy death," Ivan replied. He waved his hand and men came to take Alan, Alexandra, and Alexei. "Now kill them all!"

Gun shots rang throughout the ballroom and guests screamed.

Natalia was dragged away by her grandmother who was trying to find a place for them to escape the building but they were in the kitchen and she had never been there.

"Hey! This way!" the little boy from earlier shouted at them, finding a latch in the wall and opening it. "Follow me!"

The little boy led them through the maze that he had memorized in his efforts to escape kitchen duty. He got them safely outside.

"Thank you, dear boy," Marie stated with a smile.

"The train station is to the right, you have to hurry!" the little boy said with urgency as the castle gates filled out with men in black clocks: Ivan's men.

The boy ran back inside the castle, leaving Natalia and Marie running towards the train.

"Grandmama, I can't keep up!" Natalia screamed out through the chaos, her arm getting dragged by her grandmother's fast and long steps compared to her shorter strides.

Marie got on the train and took Natalia's hand to hoist her up when Natalia felt a tug on her leg. A man was trying to pull her off the train and put himself on but both she and man went tumbling off the train.

"Natalia!" Marie screamed seeing her granddaughter unconscious on the floor as her train left further and further away.

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Review please :)


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the next chapter :) Just to clarify, Natalia is now called "Talia" following the movie where she doesn't know her whole name. Nat seemed to American to me, so I went with Talia. Hope that clears things up!

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Chapter 2 - To St. Petersburg or not?

_Ten Years Later_

Her eighteenth birthday, Talia had been waiting for the day she would turn eighteen and finally be free of the orphanage.

For ten years, she stayed up late nights trying to remember who she was before she lost her memory. Comrade Yulastya taunted her always asking her ifs she remembered anything before the day that se as found wandering around the streets of St. Petersburg, her clothes battered, clothing the one thing she had of her past. A necklace that she had spent better days defending when the kids in the orphanage got too grabby.

"Are you listening, Talia?"

"Yes, Comrade Yulastya," Talia replied obediently as she had a million times before.

"You are to work for the fish market," Comrade Yulastya stated as she opened the gates to the orphanage for Talia one last time. "Remember, you are to go left when you reach the fork in the road."

Talia walked away nodding her head, her red curls bouncing. "Left when I reach the fork on the road."

She walked about ten kilometers before the said fork in the road appeared. Left: Docks Right: St. Petersburg.

Talia clutched at her necklace, _Together in Paris_.

She could live her whole life wondering who she was, in a smelly fish market. Or she could go right, and find her way to Paris where someone has to know who she was. She wasn't naive, she knew how big of a city Paris was. Talia often went to the library to learn the streets, the population, the bad neighborhoods and the good. But she knew that in Paris there were private investigators who she could hire with enough money, people who would work to find her family.

But first she needed to get to Paris.

And the only way to Paris was through St. Petersburg.

Talia shrugged and took the road leading to the big city. She walked for hours, not being able to afford any of the public transportations offered. Talia didn't mind, she was not weak, she was healthy person and walking never hurt anyone.

"Hey pretty girl, what are you doing in a city like this?" a bum asked her, coming close to her, his stench filling her nose.

"Get away from me," Talia hissed pulling out the knife she stole from the kitchen two nights ago in hopes that it would be enough for her to protect herself with. The bum backed away and went onto his next victim.

Talia breathed a sigh of relief.

She reached the ticketing market of St. Petersburg and looked at the prices for Paris. She reached into her octets for the few coins she was able to take from the orphanage without getting caught. Not nearly enough money to get to Paris. Not even enough money to get her fake papers to pass through the guards she knew would be in the train ensuring that there were no defectors from the motherland.

Talia walked around the streets for the day, getting stopped occasionally by the creepy men who she fought off with her knife. It had been an exhausting day and all she wanted was to sleep. For some reason, she felt herself drawn to the giant castle that stood in the heart of St. Petersburg, its streets littered with homeless people looking for a place to stay. Talia shrugged, it couldn't have been worse than the orphanage.

Talia walked into the deserted building, passing a few homeless people in her wake. She maneuvered through staircases until she opened the doors of the ball room, dust making its way outs of the door when she opened it.

"It's almost like I've been here before," Talia muttered to herself. She looked around her, the room certainly seemed familiar, and she knew it was because she oftener dreamed of this exact room. Sometimes the dreams were happy dreams where she woke up with a smile on her face. And sometimes the dream was filled with sorrow, details she has forgotten but she always remembered the ballroom.

Talia started humming to herself as she walked across the ballroom, swaying to the music in her head. Every girl dreams to be a princess, especially those who grew up in orphanages Talia was no different. She hummed a tuneless, yet familiar song, as she closed her eyes and imagined this was part of her dreams. Dancing in a large ballroom filled with happy people and colors that made her eyes shine.

Talia's dream was interrupted by a shout.

"Who's there?!"

She stopped, finding herself at the bottom of the staircase, face to face with a man. Talia gripped her knife and took it out, intending to protect herself.

"Woah there, you should probably put that away, princess," he said raising his arms up in surrender.

"You step away from me," Talia hissed at him.

"Alright," the man said stepping up the staircase. Talia followed him, her knife still trained on him.

"Clint, what the hell is going on here?" another man's voice echoed through the room, startling Talia and causing her to focus her attention and knife to the direction of the other voice. It was the distraction that the man in front of her needed to disarm her, the knife falling on the floor.

"Sorry about that," he said picking up the knife as she regained her balance standing up. "Can't trust you with a knife."

Talia got up and glared at him. "Give it back to me."

"No, not until you promise that you won't point it at me again, princess."

"Stop calling me princess," Talia stated. "Give. It. Back."

"No," he laughed reaching up, the knife in his hand as she jumped to try and get it back from him.

"Now, now, children," the other man stated approaching them. "Clinton, give the lady back her knife."

Clint sighed shaking his head before handing Talia back her knife.

"Who names their child Clinton?"

"Americans," Clint stated with a huff. "And your name, miss?"

"Uh," Talia hesitated. "Everyone calls me Talia."

"Talia… is there a last name with that?"

"No," Talia responded. "Well yes, but I don't know."

"You don't know?" Clint asked her suspiciously, leaning towards her.

"Phil, come down here and check her out."

"What?" Talia exclaimed. "Nobody is going to be checking anyone out."

"No i mean," Clint backpedaled. "How old are you, Talia? If you don't mind me asking."

"I think … I think I'm twenty?"

"Twenty," Clint nodded his head. "Why don't you know?"

"I…I was found wandering around when I was a child," Talia muttered, clutching her necklace. "The only thing I have from my past is this."

Phil walked down to where the two were eying the woman who Clint was circling.

"What, would you stop that?" Talia exclaimed as Clint circled her. He ignored her and continued on.

"What was this man a hawk in another life?" Talia asked the man who she assumed was named Phil.

Clint ran up to Phil. "Do you see what I'm talking about?"

Phil shook his head, "No. What are you looking at, Hawk."

Clint positioned Phil a little to his right then up to the portrait that hung on the wall. The portrait of the royal family with the Grand Duchess Natalia Aliovna Romanova clear as day.

"Do you see now?"

"Yes," Phil whispered bewildered. The similarities were so profound in the woman in front of them and the panting.

"Say, lady, what did you say you were here for again?"

"I didn't," Talia replied.

"Well, damn lady, you don't know who you are?"

"No," Talia whispered admittedly. "I don't remember anything."

"So you're in St. Petersburg for what?"

"Looking for a job, I want to go to Paris."

Phil and Clint looked at each other.

This time, Phil spoke up. "Why Paris?"

"Because, that's where this necklace is telling me to go."

"Well, we do have tickets to Paris," Clint stated nonchalantly. "But unfortunately, the third ticket is for the Grand Duchess Natalia Alianovna."

"The Grand Duchess? Isn't she dead?"

"No, my dear Talia," Phil said shaking his head in excitement. "She is not. She is somewhere out here, looking for her family. Like you are."

"You do kind of look like her," Clint stated setting her up.

"The same green eyes," Phil nodded at the portrait.

"Romanov eyes," Clint agreed with him. Talia's head titled at the portrait just a little to analyze the picture and her similarities more.

"Alexandra's cheeks."

"Alan's frown," Clint jbbed caused Phil to elbow him. "Ow!"

"Look, she even has Marie's hands!" Phil stated changing the subject.

"You are the same age, the same physical type, the same firey red hair…"

"Are you telling me you think that I'm the Grand Duchess?" Talia asked them surprised. Every girl wishes at one point or another to be a princess. She never thought anyone would think she was one, let alone two people.

"You're looking for you past in Paris."

"Her only family is in Paris…"

Talia shook her head. "It's not possible."

"You don't remember what happened to you," Phil stated. "Who's to say that you are not the Grand Duchess Natalia?"

Clint walked away grabbing Phil's sleeve. "Would love to help out with the job and all, but we're busy looking to reunite the Grand Duchess and her grandmother."

Talia nodded her head as she stared further onto the portrait.

"Aren't we walking away too fast?" Phil asked Clint as they descended the stairs. Clint shook his head.

"Trust me, Phil."

"You haven't let me down yet, kid."

Clint smirked. "Three, two…"

"Clint, wait!" Talia shouted after him, running over to them.

"Yes?"

"Who's to say I'm not Natalia?"

"Who's to say?" Clint repeated. "You in, Talia?"

Free trip to Paris.

"Yes," Talia stated taking out her hand for Clint and Phil to shake. They both looked at each other then over to her hand questioningly. She scoffed. "You shake hands when you make a deal."

"Oh right," Clint stated taking her hand and shaking it. Phil did the same.

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Review please :)


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